punctuall and exact moment of time when the egge of Antichrist and his Apostacie was first laid as otherwhere sufficiently preserued vnto vs proceedeth to detect the place where and from whence he should arise saying that he saw him lift vp his hardy head from the sea meaning by the sea as in the sixteenth of this prophecie the surging tumbling and raging Sea and Citie of Rome where also by a like loquution he calleth all kingdoms subiected to her by the name of riuers And that this Beast should thence arise and there and not elsewhere keep court and residence the Spirit proueth by an argument drawne from the shape and proportion of the Beast for he had the seuen heads and ten hornes of the Dragon meaning that he should sit vpon the Dragons hils and reigne in and ouer the Dragons citie and aray himselfe with the spoiles of the world and hold in subiection the Kings and States on earth as the Dragon did for so much the Spirit intendeth in saying hauing seuen heads and ten hornes And lest the vnwary Reader should mistake this great Antichrist for that great Dragon or this Beasts supremacie and his pestilent succession for that Beasts supereminencie and his execrable taile as many vnwarily haue done the holy Ghost in emblazoning his coate giueth him a most exquisite difference in saying that he wore his diadems not vpon his heads as the Dragon did but vpon his hornes signifying thereby that he should not come to his Crowne and vainglory by the strength of his sword his Leaders and his legions as the Dragon did but by the base and voluntary submission of all such Cesars Kings and Princes as should with one counsell and force deliuer vp their authoritie and power secular to the deuotion and pleasure of the Beast and therefore the Spirit crowneth not his heads but his horns saying and vpon his hornes ten diadems And concluding sheweth euen by his head attire how far vnlike this Dragons High-priest of Rome was and should be to the Lords High-priest of Ierusalem who in stead of hauing his head-attire emblemished with holinesse to the Lord as had his seruant Aaron should haue his head-peece beslubbered with names of blasphemie and vpon his heads names of blasphemie whereof proofe is made in the sixt verse following Verse 2. And the Beast which I saw was like to a Leopard and his feet as a Beare and his mouth as the mouth of a Lion and the Dragon gaue him his own force and his throne and great power ANd forasmuch as the Apostle foresaw that this Beast should be a far greater aduersarie and a far longer persecuter of the Church of God then any of the Monarchies which did arise afore him he shapeth him an outside answerable to his inward making framing his parts of the most notable persecuters that euer were as concluding him for his extraordinary wickednesse the odde fellow the totall summe and very accomplishment of all other And first for his presumption in extolling himselfe aboue the Prince of the Couenant defouling his sanctuary desolating his sacrifice burning his statutes and inforcing the humble and meeke to the abnegation of the truth by blood fire strappadoes and such like exquisite torments the Spirit resembleth him to his arch-type Antiochus descended from the Monarch of Greece here as in Daniel deciphered by a Leopard And I saw the Beast like a Leopard Secondly in pride of life in pomp and luxurie the Spirit equalleth him with the Monarch of Persia and likeneth his arrogant and voluptuous gate to her ten Kings here as in Daniel deciphered by a Beare And his feet as of a Beare Thirdly the holy Ghost ascribeth vnto him the proud prophane and cursed mouth of the Mornarch of Babylon in commanding the dwellers on earth vpon paine of fire and fornace to adore his golden idoll which he had dedicated with cornets sackbuts psalteries dulcimers which also the Spirit couereth as Daniel doth vnder the maske of a Lion And his mouth as the mouth of a Lion And last of all lest happily he should be least beholding vnto his Bella Nimpha his dearest Lady and mistris of Rome the holy Ghost saith that the loue of his Patronesse the Dragon was equal to the loue of a father towards his sonne for she made him heire apparent and Lord of her Empire subiecting all things to the feete of his censure and confirming vnto him her throne and pallace of Lateran with all the demefnes and glorie of Latium as one of his owne also noteth Latiumque relinquit Christo Romuleam septem cum collibus vrbem Verse 3. And I saw one of his heads as it were slaine to death but the wound of his death was cured and all the earth was in admiration after the Beast ANd presently after this great Antichrist was risen the Apostle foresaw such a wound giuen to one of his heads that the Beast was in eminent danger to be stricken downe againe and slaine in the very egge for so much the Spirit noteth in saying And I saw one of his heads as it were slaine to death For the better opening of which wouÌ„d we must not onely remember the Beast hath seuen heads but we must also step a little forward and craue the assistance of the seuenteenth Chapter concerning the interpetation of the seuen heads which saith that the seuen heads are seuen hils and they are also seuen kings discouering the true seate and situation of the citie of Rome where Antichrist should keep his court and residence by the seuen hils And by the seuen kings the seuen Monarchies which from the beginning of the world to this day haue successiuely risen and reigned ouer the earth of which seuen the Assyrian monarchie was the first and the Romane the sixt of both which and their pue-fâ—llowes is further reuealed in the seuenteenth Chapter following Meane time we are here to obserue that as the holy Ghost doth therefore call his seuen heads by the name of seuen hils because the seate of Antichrist should be there and not elsewhere placed and planted so he nameth them also seuen kings because the power of Antichrist should be an extraordinarie soueraigntie compounded of such spiritual and temporall claimes and iurisdictions as should be equiualent in presumption and prophanation to all the transgressions of the seuen monarchies which from the beginning hitherunto haue blasphemed God and corrupted his world This foundation layd doth shew that this deadly wound giuen to one of his heads which as after appeareth was the wound of a sword cannot be meant of any one of his heads after the first signification as they are hils but as they are kings and subiect to the sword and so by consequence intendeth that one of his Imperiall heads and namely his faire Adonis his minion lord and master of Rome of whom he had so lately receiued his breath and being was so deadly wounded as that the Beast himselfe thereby was in great danger of
the name of the ancient enemy and seducer of mankind the Serpent saw that they could no longer hauocke the Church of God by reason of her close sight and secret dispersion they deuised to pursue her with their bloody edicts and sacrilegious constitutions which they breathed out against her in such raging and furious maner as the Spirit therefore resembleth the violence of their barbarous inquisitions and vnprincely rescripts vnto the vnmercifull rage and current of a flood hoping that as by their vnplacable furie they had dispersed and driuen the Spouse to corners so by the due execution of their cruell promulgations they might vtterly consume her generation and blot out all letters of her honorable name for to that white onely they aimed as the Spirit concludeth That he might make her to be caried away of the flood Verse 17. And the earth holp the Woman and the earth opened her mouth and swallowed vp the flood which the Dragon cast out of his mouth BVt in reliefe of the Churches pressures and persecutions her Lord gaue charge vnto his handmaide the earth to comfort help and succour her his Spouse and as Moab was charged to hide the chased Israel of God and not bewray him that was fled and escaped but to dwell with him and to giue him couert and protection from the face of the destroyer so here the earth was commanded to reach forth her helping hand and to take in and harbour the Lords exiles in the seret chambers of her desarts mountaines and caues that so she might either affoord her close and quiet saueguard or in witnesse of her faith and proofe of her patience receiue the blood which her cursed brethren spilt which courtesie and tender fauour the Spirit remembreth to the perpetuall praise of the benefactors of the Spouse saying But the earth holp the Woman and opened her mouth and swallowed vp the flood which the Dragon cast out of his mouth Verse 18. And the Dragon was wroth against the Woman and went to make battell with the remnant of her seed which keepe the commandements of God and haue the testimonie of Iesus Christ ANd notwithstanding the Dragon by his taile of Cesars had thus massacred and dispersed the Church yet was he not so satisfied but for very rage fell into a melancholy mood for cause he could not quite consume and roote her honour out as the Spirit discloseth saying And the Dragon was wroth against the Woman And forasmuch as the Churches beautie did most shine in the East Syria Greece Asia where she was borne and bred the Dragon thought it his best in policie which euermore with him was held for chiefest religion to itch and set forward his den and hold his Court further East which purpose of his as close as it was the holy Ghost discouereth in saying And he went and noteth the true end wherefore he went not so much to barricade and stop the floate and incursion of the barbarous enemie as he forsooth pretended as to pursue and consume the dispersed remainder of the Spouse as the Spirit vnfoldeth saying to make battell with the remnant of her seed who for that they were iust of the making and growth of the Churches first and primitiue fruite holding the mysterie of faith in a good conscience as the first borne did the Spirit setteth them forth in the same liuely colours saying which keepe the commandements of God and haue the testimonie of Iesus Christ Verse 19. And he stood vpon the sand of the sea ANd the Dragō remoued his throne and left his ancient seate and citie of Rome where he had now kept court almost a thousand yeares and went and pitched his throne anew in a hauen towne betweene Pontus Euxinus and Propontis in the East of Thracia anciently called Bysance and there erected the new citie of Rome and called it after his owne name Constantinople the citie of Constantine which translation of his residence and chaire of estate one of his owne also noteth Constantinus apud Thraces qua Bosphorus aequor Thracius Euxinis Aegaeū ingurgitat vndis constituit sedem Imperij CHAP. XIII The description of Antichrist and his deuotaries The description of his Cleargie and of his religion The Character of Antichrist The number of his dayes and the end of his reigne Verse 1. And I saw a Beast ascending from the sea hauing seuen heads and ten hornes and vpon his hornes ten diadems and vpon his heads names of blasphemie ANd presently vpon the remoue and translation of the Empire the Apostle espied that wicked one Antichrist man of sinne in saying And I saw who in regard of the tyrannous power and bloody vse of the vnbridled iurisdiction that should be giuen him he is here termed as in holy Scriptures other Monarchs are A Beast that is to say a kind of gouernment kingdome dominion or power exercised and acted by a succession of tyrannous bloody and beastly men And albeit his perfection in euill stood yet aloofe and was very farre off yong and tender as lying in swathing clouts yet the Apostle descrieth him as it were through a chinke in saying coming vp For after the translation of the Empire and that now Ethnicke Rome began to play the Christian he was welnigh a hundred yeares closely creeping and climing vp before he could aduance his cursed head and claime of supereminencie Concerning which ambitious puffe of vaine prioritie so faire and euident mention is made in the monuments of time that the incredible boldnesse of the aduersarie is no lesse maruellous then his incurable blindnesse that hath so long time stumbled at this stone and so often spurred vs by way of vaunting to shew them if we dare or can when this apostacie of Antichrist tooke her rise and first commencement which daring vaunt of theirs the holy Ghost tripping ouer as a thing which is or ought to be knowne vnto vs namely that the horne of Antichrist and his apostacie did then first sprout out when his Church first obtained at the Dragons hand prioritie of place suffrage and censure ouer all For as the tree puls vp the creeping ivie so the primacie of the Church of Rome pulled vp the aspiring supremacie of the Bishop thereof which Church preheminence and prelation after long ruffling and shouldring was first obtained at the hands of Honorius though afterwards vpon greater concertation and daggers drawing it was by other Cesars and Kings confirmed renewed and ampliated who by the aduantage of the weaknesse and death of his elder brother Arcadius hauing obtained power and protectorship East and West subiected the Church of the East Empire which most withstood the West and Romane supremacie with all other Churches whatsoeuer to the Church and Sea of Rome at the instant suit and importunitie of the now Bishop of Rome whose name was then Innocent the first in the first yeare of his creation and in the yeare of Redemption 406. But the holy Ghost I say passing ouer the
notwithstanding with the Prophets of God and therefore is called Propheticall as Ezekiel a day for a yeare and Daniels Ezek. 4. 6. Dan. 9. 24. seuentie weekes are weekes of yeares euery weeke containing seuen yeares as throughout this prophecie Also the months are months of yeares to euery month accounting thirtie yeares From whence we conclude Antichrists three yeares and a halfe both here and in Daniel deciphered by a time times and half a time to be yeares of yeares euery yeare containing twelue moneths of yeares which amount to 360 yeares and multiplied by three and a halfe do in the totall amount to 1260 yeares And to the end the world may take better notice of these his two testifiers and preseruers of truth the Lord commendeth the knowledge of the parties by the description of their garments in saying they are cloathed in sackcloth thereby not onely disseuering their testimonies from all the soft and courtly commentaries of flesh and blood which for the most are raised with infected matter and vested with affected stile but also teaching vs that no man can retaine to the Lord before whom they minister vnlesse he serue in the same liuery that they doe and can turne ouer the leaues of his life and pilgrimage in fasting and sackcloth and true repentance as these his seruants the Prophets and Saints haue done Verse 4. These are the two oliue branches and the two candlesticks which stand in the presence of the Lord of the earth ANd these my two Testaments are those two oliue trees saith the Lord described by my Prophet Zechary which stand and fructifie before the Ruler of the earth for euer and euer For their leafe that is to say their word and iudgements shall neither wither nor fade though heauen and earth should perish and melt away And they are also two candlesticks which carry in them the light of my truth and power of my Spirit the great moderator of heauen and earth Verse 5. And if any man will hurt them fire shall come forth of their mouth and deuoure their enemies and if any man shall hurt them so must he be slaine ANd if any man shal wrest their word from the aime intention of their meaning saith the Lord or turne their prophecie out of the way by peruerting or clipping the honour or purpose of their word the fire of my wrath denounced by the mouth of these my two testaments for though they be two yet they haue but one mouth shall surely iudge and execute those louers and makers of lies and for the more assurance of this sentence against them the Lord doth iterate the curse and vengeance of his heauy displeasure saying And if any man will hurt them so must he be slaine meaning I say by hurting all maner diminishing of the words of their testimonie by false blasphemous and lying expositions as some haue done Verse 6. These haue power to shut heauen that it raine not in the dayes of their prophecie and they haue power ouer the waters to turne them into blood and to smite the earth with all maner of plagues so often as they will FOr the Lord hath touched the mouth of these his two Prophets as he did the mouth of Ieremie and the rest of his seruants of whom he saith Behold this day haue I set thee ouer nations and ouer kingdomes to plucke vp roote out destroy and throw downe build and plant and in another place Therefore haue I cut them downe by my Prophets and slaine them by the words of my mouth Such priuiledge the Lord hath giuen to these his two Testaments that if they once shut the heauens that it raine not in the dayes of their prophecie that is to say if they denounce a famine of the bread of life to wit the word and knowledge of God or pronounce a sword to come vpon a nation kingdom or people which the Lord here signifieth by turning waters into blood or if it pleaseth them to prophesie which the Lord here calleth to strike of any pestilence earthquake or other iudgement to come such power is giuen them that if they say the word it is done as it is written Heauen and earth shall perish but the words of their prophecie shall not passe till all be fulfilled Verse 7. And when they shall haue finished their testimonieâ— the Beast which ascendeth from the depth shall wage battell against them and kill them ANd when his seruants the Prophets and Apostles shal haue fulfilled their course and be translated from the land of their labours to the land of rest leauing to the world the inheritance as it were of their ministery sealed vp in the two Testaments of God to preserue the feare of his name and the knowledge of his pleasure among the sonnes of men which the holy Ghost calleth finishing their testimonie Antichrist the Beast whose proper place whence he is and whither he must is here described by the name of the depth shall not onely hurt and wound them by slanderous lying expositions as his Clerks and Assects do but shall set his feet vpon their necks and tread downe their diuine authoritie by the aduancing of his cursed keyes and the beautie of his whorish Church aboue them which the Spirit calleth waging battell inhibiting them to prophecie or teach the words of their testimonie vulgarly And not onely putting them to silence but also reprouing condemning them for corrupters seducers and sowers of heresies among the people which presumptuous blasphemie and murder the Spirit discouereth in saying that he shall ouercome them and kill them Verse 8. And their carkeises shall remaine in the streete of the great Citie which is spiritually called Sodome and Egypt where their Lord also was crucified ANd the letter or text of their testimonie which the Spirit calleth their corps or carkeises shall remaine in their houses Cels Temples hang at their girdles through all the cities and kingdomes where the Beast and his Church is adored which in regard of their number be here named the great Citie so in respect of their execrable worship and adulterous seruice contrary to God and his holy Citie they are here called also spiritually Sodome meaning that as Sodome her sister did forsake the lawfull vse and prescription of nature and wrought filthinesse against nature so these loathing truth and louing lyes should erect strange oblations and propitiations as contrary to the offerings and satisfactions of the Saints as was the sinne of Sodome opposite to nature And the Spirit further calleth them by the name of Egypt for that in blindnes and hardnes of heart they euery way match the presumptuous and indurate Egyptians still pursuing and persecuting the truth as Pharaoh did Israel till the God of Israel destroy them by the Spirit of his mouth as he did Pharaoh and his hoast by water And in further detestation of the cruel murder and immanitie of this Beast and his adherents the holy Ghost layeth the blood
his accomplices against the Church and Spouse of Christ that so the glory of his iustice in their iust condemnation and iudgement may be more bright and manifest CHAP. XII 1. A confirmation of the prophecie following 2. The description of the Church and of her first fruit 4. The Churches first persecution raised by Ethnicke Rome by whose immanitie it came to passe that her beautie was no more seene in her visible and eminent graces but liued here and there dispersed and scattered ouer the face of the earth 8. The great battell betweene Christianisme and Paganisme Christ and his truth ouercommeth Iupiter and his prophanation 18. The Empire remoueth his Throne pretending to stop the floate of the enemie but intending to roote out the dispersed remnant of the Church Verse 1. And the Temple of God was opened in heauen and the Arke of his Couenant was seene in his Temple and there was made lightnings voices thunders earthquakes and great haile THE Apostle hauing drawne in the former part of this prophecie a slight draught as it were and designement of Antichrist doth now in the prophecie following revisit and perfect the discouery of the Beast and hang him vp to the view and discerning of heauen and earth And to the end that this his work of manifestation may carry in it faire and vncontrollable credit the Apostle in this verse assureth vs that he reuealeth no other word concerning the Church her pressours here on earth during the personal absence of her Lord then that which he heard at the Councel table of God which he deliuereth in a maner of speech vsuall with the Prophets And the Temple of God was opened in heauen and the Arke of his couenant was seene in the Temple alluding to the Temple of Ierusalem and signifying thereunder that the words of this his Reuelation are no lesse sooth and true then if he had receiued them from the Oracle of God which spake from ouer the Arke of his testament within the Temple of Ierusalem whose words and answers for their diuinitie maiestie power and glorie are here as elsewhere figured by voices proper to God and not to man as lightnings thunders earthquakes and haile Verse 2. And a great signe appeared in heauen a woman cloathed with the Sunne and the Moone vnder her feete and on her head a crowne of twelue starres BVt before the Spirit takes in hand to discouer the persecuters of the Church it pleaseth him first to describe the Church it selfe that so the barbarous immanitie of her enemies may be more apparent and iustly abhorred being vsed against a creature of such virginal innocent and patient modestie who for her rare and admirable beauty is here called a great signe or heauenly apparition symbolizing her fearfull modest sober and matronlike behauiour with the appellation and qualitie of a woman for so she is in holy Scriptures often called the fairest woman the Kings daughter daughter of Sion daughter of Ierusalem the Spouse of Christ Mother of the iust c. And to the end she may the better be discerned of vs the Apostle describeth her garments and wearing saying she was cloathed with the Sun meaning that she had put on the Lord Iesus Sonne of iustice that is to say her soule was vested with an assurance of the mercie and loue of God in Christ Iesus her Lord which iustice or iustification of the Spouse and her children is called in holy Scripture by way of metaphor the white stone and the wedding garment For as a stoale or garment couereth the shame and nakednes of our vile bodies so the mercy and loue of God insured vs in Christ Iesus our Lord hideth the shame and nakednesse of our sinfull soules And to proue that her garment was truly wouen of the two diuine threds to wit the assurance of mercie the assurance of loue in Christ Iesus her Lord the Spirit giueth in for euidence the fruits of this her liuely and iustificall faith closely hiding her newnesse of life her hatred of sinne and her loue of God as vnder a vaile in these words And the Moone vnder her feet signifying thereby that she had now quite forsaken forgotten her fathers house that is had slaine her naturall sinfull and wonted affections and was reuiued and renewed in mind and with her Lord was now risen and ascended vp as he into the heauen of heauens so she to a new custome and cariage of life far aboue and higher then the Moone for all her study and hearts delight was now in heauen where her hope her loue her life and her dearest Lord liueth reigneth God to be praised for euer and euer Amen Last of all the Spirit setteth forth her head attire whereby her honour and estate was best knowne and wherein she most delighted saying that she wore on her head a crowne made of a mettall much finer then gold for it was made of the doctrine of the twelue Apostles who for that they are the Lords lights and lanternes to guide the feet of sinners when sinne hath benighted them are here called by the names of Starres And on her head a crowne of twelue starres Verse 3. And being great with child she cried trauelling and labouring to be deliuered ANd by the words which her eares receiued her heart conceiued and she was great with feare and godly sorrow trauelling vnder the burthen of her sinnes and restlesse desire to be reconciled to God which anguish and paines of her sorrowful heart and broken spirit the Apostle most excellently compareth to the sorrowes of a woman in trauell In which her spiritual labour and paine she could by no meanes be relieued or eased vntill her Lord were fashioned in her that is vntill her heart were sanctified by faith for no Treacle could heale her miserable wounded soule but the assurance of mercie onely nor any water could quench the burning flames of her restlesse desire but the loue of God onely insured her in Christ Iesus her Lord and written in the fleshly tables of her heart by the finger of God according to his promise his first and last and euerlasting couenant Verse 4. And another signe appeared in heauen for loe a great red Dragon hauing seuen heads and ten hornes and on his heads seuen diadems AS night doth follow day and the shadow the body so must the Crosse follow Christ and affliction his Church whose Sunne could no sooner shine but the enuious man raised vp a mightie storme of persecution to cloud the brightnesse of her beautiful beames which for the extraordinary furie thereof the Apostle calleth a wonder or signe meaning the Churches first and primitiue persecution raised by Ethnik Rome who for his power immanitie and malice to the Church of God is here called a great red Dragon and both for that his Throne and Citie was seated on seuen hils as also for that he was in all impietie pride and prophanation the totall summe and epitome as it were